DAYTON—Wright State University Boonshoft School of Medicine student Laura Thornhill is one of only eight students nationwide awarded a MAP International Medical Fellowship. During the spring 2013 semester, Thornhill will participate in a two-month-long international rotation at Bongolo Hospital in Lebamba, Gabon. Awarded annually, the MAP International Medical Fellowship provides fourth-year medical students the opportunity to serve at remote clinics and hospitals in developing countries.

While at Bongolo, Thornhill will take part in the daily responsibilities of the hospital and receive first-hand knowledge of health problems in Gabon. Thornhill was selected because of her strong academic standing, personal development interests, cultural adaptability, world concern, desire to serve and sincere interest in medical missions in developing countries.

“Laura is one of the most dedicated medical students who strives to make a difference in the world,” said Dean Parmelee, M.D., associate dean for academic affairs at the Boonshoft School of Medicine. “She has an optimistic personality and a can-do approach. She wanted to use her medical skills to help those in an underserved community, and I am not surprised at all she was selected for a MAP Fellowship.”

MAP International is a global Christian health organization that partners with people living in conditions of poverty to save lives and develop healthier families and communities. MAP International works to provide medicines, prevent disease and promote health to create real hope and lasting change.

The MAP International Medical Fellowship encourages lifelong involvement in global health issues by providing selected medical students firsthand exposure in a Christian context to the health, social and cultural characteristics of a developing world community. MAP International, through a grant from the founders of Reader’s Digest, DeWitt and Lila Wallace, sponsors fourth year-medical students by funding travel arrangements to their chosen destinations. Students select a mission agency or hospital that has an outreach among the poor in a rural or urban setting.

Laura Thornhill is a graduate of Centerville High School and earned her B.S. in microbiology at the Ohio State University.

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